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Vernacular vs. Idiom: What's the Difference?

Vernacular and Idiom Definitions

Vernacular

The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language.

Idiom

A speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in keep tabs on.

Vernacular

A variety of such everyday language specific to a social group or region
The vernaculars of New York City.

Idiom

The specific grammatical, syntactic, and structural character of a given language.

Vernacular

The specialized vocabulary of a particular trade, profession, or group
In the legal vernacular.
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Idiom

Regional speech or dialect.

Vernacular

The common, nonscientific name of a plant or animal.

Idiom

A specialized vocabulary used by a group of people; jargon
Legal idiom.

Vernacular

Native to or commonly spoken by the members of a particular country or region.

Idiom

A style of artistic expression characteristic of a particular individual, school, period, or medium
The idiom of the French impressionists.
The punk rock idiom.
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Vernacular

Using the native language of a region, especially as distinct from the literary language
A vernacular poet.

Idiom

A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
In English, idiom requires the indefinite article in a phrase such as "she's an engineer", whereas in Spanish, idiom forbids it.
Some of the usage prescriptions improved clarity and were kept; others that yielded discordant violations of idiom were eventually revised.

Vernacular

Relating to or expressed in the native language or dialect.

Idiom

(programming) A programming construct or phraseology that is characteristic of the language.

Vernacular

Of or being an indigenous building style using local materials and traditional methods of construction and ornament, especially as distinguished from academic or historical architectural styles.

Idiom

A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.
In the idiom of the day, they were sutlers, although today they'd probably be called vendors.

Vernacular

Occurring or existing in a particular locality; endemic
A vernacular disease.

Idiom

An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.
She often spoke in idioms, pining for salad days and complaining about pots calling the kettle black.

Vernacular

Relating to or designating the common, nonscientific name of a biological species.

Idiom

An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.
The idiom of the expressionists

Vernacular

The language of a people or a national language.
A vernacular of the United States is English.

Idiom

The syntactical or structural form peculiar to any language; the genius or cast of a language.
Idiom may be employed loosely and figuratively as a synonym of language or dialect, but in its proper sense it signifies the totality of the general rules of construction which characterize the syntax of a particular language and distinguish it from other tongues.
By idiom is meant the use of words which is peculiar to a particular language.
He followed their language [the Latin], but did not comply with the idiom of ours.

Vernacular

Everyday speech or dialect, including colloquialisms, as opposed to standard, literary, liturgical, or scientific idiom.
Street vernacular can be quite different from what is heard elsewhere.

Idiom

An expression conforming or appropriate to the peculiar structural form of a language.
Some that with care true eloquence shall teach,And to just idioms fix our doubtful speech.

Vernacular

Language unique to a particular group of people.
For those of a certain age, hiphop vernacular might just as well be a foreign language.

Idiom

A combination of words having a meaning peculiar to itself and not predictable as a combination of the meanings of the individual words, but sanctioned by usage; as, an idiomatic expression; less commonly, a single word used in a peculiar sense.
It is not by means of rules that such idioms as the following are made current: "I can make nothing of it." "He treats his subject home." Dryden. "It is that within us that makes for righteousness." M. Arnold.
Sometimes we identify the words with the object - though by courtesy of idiom rather than in strict propriety of language.

Vernacular

A language lacking standardization or a written form.

Idiom

The phrase forms peculiar to a particular author; as, written in his own idiom.
Every good writer has much idiom.

Vernacular

Indigenous spoken language, as distinct from a literary or liturgical language such as Ecclesiastical Latin.
Vatican II allowed the celebration of the mass in the vernacular.

Idiom

Dialect; a variant form of a language.

Vernacular

(architecture) A style of architecture involving local building materials and styles, not imported.

Idiom

A manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language

Vernacular

Of or pertaining to everyday language, as opposed to standard, literary, liturgical, or scientific idiom.

Idiom

The usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people;
The immigrants spoke an odd dialect of English
He has a strong German accent

Vernacular

Belonging to the country of one's birth; one's own by birth or nature.
A vernacular disease

Idiom

The style of a particular artist or school or movement;
An imaginative orchestral idiom

Vernacular

(architecture) Of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported.

Idiom

An expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up

Vernacular

(art) Connected to a collective memory; not imported.

Vernacular

Belonging to the country of one's birth; one's own by birth or nature; native; indigenous; - now used chiefly of language; as, English is our vernacular language.
His skill in the vernacular dialect of the Celtic tongue.
Which in our vernacular idiom may be thus interpreted.

Vernacular

The vernacular language; one's mother tongue; often, the common forms of expression in a particular locality, opposed to literary or learned forms.

Vernacular

A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves);
They don't speak our lingo

Vernacular

The everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language)

Vernacular

Being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language;
Common parlance
A vernacular term
Vernacular speakers
The vulgar tongue of the masses
The technical and vulgar names for an animal species

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